#MeToo: Women stand in solidarity, showing the vast reach of misogyny in America, world

The allegations of sexual harassment against movie producer Harvey Weinstein, and the lack of outrage, seem shocking. Sadly, incidents like these aren't limited to Hollywood. Ordinary women bravely share their experiences of harassment at work.
USA TODAY

Johnson-Crowther, decades into a successful career, said she experienced sexual harassment early in a male-dominated field, long before she joined her current company.

She and many others have watched the past two days as friends and acquaintances posted #MeToo on their social media accounts. Some simply used the two-word rally cry, while others told of specific instances.

Karen Johnson-Crowther(Photo: News-Press file)

The movement grew after actress Alyssa Milano urged women to use the hashtag as a social media status, with it trending on Facebook with 6 million users talking about it by Monday morning.

“If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem,” Milano wrote.

"People really don't realize how much of that happens," said Jennifer Benton, CEO of Abuse Counseling & Treatment in Fort Myers. "Almost every woman has experienced it."

She watched Sunday as her Facebook feed filled with "Me too".

"My initial reaction, is how many people, especially those that I know, have had the same experience," Johnson-Crowther said. "Maybe it's a shame that we just put up with it."

State Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers, called the women who stand up to the misogyny "brave."

"You have to be very brave to be willing to sacrifice everything to bring someone to justice for this behavior," she said, noting there are laws to support victims of sexual assault and harassment.

State Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers.(Photo: File)

Benton said the fear they won't be believed, and the burden of proof often keeps women from reporting the crimes.

"It's important that people listen to them and believe them," she said. The "#MeToo" campaign breaks down those barriers.

Fitzenhagen said that she, too, experienced harassment early in her career and the issue, in particular, is paramount for younger women.

"A woman can find herself in a position where she can not walk out of a job, she has to put food on the table," she said. "She's so desperate to succeed she will do anything. That is an unfortunate state of affairs."

You may have awaken to an explosive overnight social media movement; #metoo. It's aimed at showing people the staggering statistics.(Photo: Credit: Getty Images)

As she encounters young women in her travels, she shares the message that they have to advocate for themselves.

"We as women need to continue to be ever vigilant to protect our rights," she said.

Johnson-Crowther said younger women are the most at risk of the abuse and the most likely to benefit from the campaign.

"I'm older and wiser now," she said. "If they see this happened to this person and now they are speaking up and saying 'me, too', they don't feel like it's only them. They have a voice."

She said it's difficult to know what her younger self would have done with the new ammunition.

"(What) if people had whispered behind back?" she said of the embarrassment she felt. "Would they have believed me? Would they look at me differently?"

Benton said the movement shows that "there are people that can help them through this. There are people that are there for them."